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Symposia

Couples / Close Relationships

Session: Cultivating Relationship Joy: Early Detection, Prevention, and Intervention for Fostering Relationship Health in Active-Duty Military Couples

2 - (SYM 95) Web-based Relationship Health Screening and Distress-prevention Program for Military Service Members

Saturday, November 18, 2023
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM PST
Location: Clallum (701), Level 7
Strengthening military families should begin upon entry into the military. The unique demands of the military lifestyle impose potential strain on military couples early in service members’ (SMs) careers (Hall, 2012). Early detection and prevention of relationship problems have the potential to benefit the overall health and effectiveness of SMs and their partners (Monk et al., 2018). The current studies developed and tested a brief relationship health screener (Phase 1) and a self-directed, web-based couple relationship-distress prevention program targeting essential relationship skills (Phase 2).
The transition into technical training may be an optimal period for the prevention of negative relationship outcomes. A total of 973 partnered U.S. Air Force (USAF) SMs were recruited from six technical-training squadrons at Keesler AFB and Wright-Patterson AFB. Measures of relationship functioning were assessed every six months over two years.
A subset (n = 574 partnered SMs or their partners) completed at least one follow-up (6-, 12-, 18-, or 24-months) and were included in the development of the brief screener for relationship health (Phase 1). Using Binary Classification and Regression Tree analyses, a 14-item screener was developed based on items’ ability to predict negative relationship outcomes within the first two years of military service. Approximately two-thirds (65%; n = 374) of partnered SMs reported a negative relationship outcome (i.e., divorce/dissolution, clinically significant relationship distress, infidelity, or intimate partner violence) at one or more follow-up assessments.
Phase 2 of the project consists of a previously developed multi-tiered intervention for military couples (ARMOR; Heyman et al., 2015) which has been adapted for web-access by entry-level, partnered USAF SMs in technical training. Qualitative and quantitative assessments of program usability, feasibility, viability, and initial measures of efficacy will be presented.